The Tory Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen says he's working on what he's calling a "tax rebate scheme".
Mayors will be free to use share of tax to give residents grants

Original reporting
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Burnham says he wants to ‘draw a line’ under relationship with devolved powers – UK politics live
PM hoping for improved relations and ‘model of deeper devolution in Scotland and Wales’ Downing Street has paid tribute to Patrick Stewart following the actor’s death. At the daily lobby briefing, the PM’s spokesperson gave a comment that was a bit more extensive than the usual No 10 contribution when a great British celebrity dies. The spokesperson said that was because Andy Burnham feels strongly about the importance of actors. The spokesperson said: The prime minister was very sad to hear of the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart. As a former culture secretary he knows how much Britain’s greatest actors mean to the country, and Sir Patrick was one of the very best. Just a reminder that when it comes to Wales, we are not comparing like with like. The term ‘region’ in an English context typically refers to an area covering between 1.5 and 3 million people. In Wales, regions cover much less

Why is the Cheesecake Factory at the center of the latest culture war?
A joke by former President Obama has gone viral and received backlash from the Trump administration as the issue of affordability looms large over next week's midterm elections.

Digested week: The Traitors suddenly feels tired – time for a politicians version? | John Crace
Liz Truss is like a broken record, Harry Kane is for ever Spurs, and the celebs in the castle are getting on my nerves You would have thought someone would have made an intervention by now. To save Liz Truss from the worst excesses and delusions of herself. Most former prime ministers – and there are enough of them by now – make the transition into civilian life with little fuss. More or less. John Major found himself elevated from national joke to statesman after 20 years; Tony Blair took the grandiose step of establishing his very own institute; Boris Johnson took his grumblings to the Daily Mail where he is now more or less ignored; Theresa May opted for obscurity; we have yet to find out Keir Starmer’s next move. Yet Liz Truss seems permanently scarred by her 49 days in office and its abrupt ending. Constantly feeling the need to pick away at the wound that will never heal. Continue

Healey’s budget cuts mean Britain is likely to miss green heating targets
Ex-energy secretary Ed Miliband’s agenda appears undermined as money is diverted from renewables to defence Britain is unlikely to hit its targets on green heating after the cuts announced by John Healey this week, experts have warned, as critics of Ed Miliband claim the former energy secretary’s green agenda is being dismantled. The chancellor unveiled more than £3bn worth of cuts to the energy department’s budget this week, much of which will pay for higher defence spending. Continue reading...

For voters from immigrant families and new citizens, voting is bigger than themselves
While many young voters are focused on the cost of living in the election, for some from immigrant families, the political calculation — and their votes — is often about even more than the economy.

2026 midterm election voter guides: Find local resources in your community
NPR member stations are gathering information for voters — from voter guides down to local races. Scroll through to find your state and the resources available from your local member station.